Misplaced modifiers

A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is not placed close enough to the word it describes to be clear.

Confusing: The waitress served ice cream to everyone in bowls.

Wow! Everyone had to get in bowls in order to get their ice cream?

To fix, place the modifier as close to the words it modifies as possible.

Better: The waitress served ice cream in bowls to everyone.

Sentences like this are common in conversation. But they are imprecise. So they have no place in your fiction.

Note: misplaced modifiers can be hard to find in revision. Why? Because you, the writer, already know what you’re trying to say. Your mind “sees” what you intend to say. The reader, however, does not want to do your job.

Kinds of Misplaced Modifiers

Misplaced adjectives are wrongly separated from the nouns they modify.

Confusing: Lanette ordered a hot cup of coffee.

The cup or the coffee was hot?

Better: Lanette ordered a cup of hot coffee.

Confusing: On the beach, Darrin found a silver woman’s ring.

The woman was silver?

Better: On the beach, Darrin found a woman’s silver ring.

Misplaced adverbs are wrongly separated from the words they modify. But adverb placement can be tricky since English allows some adverbs to move more freely than adjectives get to.

Kendall ate the lunch she brought slowly.

She brought it slowly?

Better: Kendall slowly ate the lunch she brought. OR Slowly Kendall ate the lunch she brought.

Certain adverbs get misplaced more than others because these must be placed immediately before the word they modify: almost, even, exactly, hardly, just, merely, nearly, only, scarcely, and simply.

How Important Is Placement?

Very. Placement can change the meaning of your sentence. Correctness depends on what you’re trying to say:

Just Corbin was picked to host the company luncheon.

He’s the only one picked.

Corbin was picked to host just the company luncheon.

Not the other three events.

I only heard the last half of the news report.

Only one person–“I”–heard the last half. Others may have heard all the report.

I heard only the last half of the news report.

“I” heard the last half of the report, but I wish I had heard all of it.

Misplaced modifying phrases need to be next to the word they modify or they make sentences sound awkward.

Confused: The robber fenced the diamond ring to the jeweler with three sapphires.

Did the jeweler negotiate to get three sapphires or did the diamond ring have them?

Better: The robber fenced the diamond ring with three sapphires to the jeweler.

Confused: He demanded revenge in a loud voice.

Revenge in a loud voice? Revenge doesn’t come in “voices” of any degree of loudness.

Better: In a loud voice, he demanded revenge.

Confused: They saw a fence behind an office complex made of barbed wire.

The office complex is made of barbed wire?

Better: They saw a fence made of barbed wire behind an office complex.

Confused: Swimming around in the glass bowl, the toddler watched the goldfish.

Better: The toddler watched the goldfish swimming around in the glass bowl.

Misplaced modifying clauses need to be next to the word they modify or they make sentences awkward.

Confusing: Sydney shoved all the clothes in the washing machine that she had worn.

Seems unlikely she wore the washing machine.

Better: Sydney shoved all the clothes that she had worn in the washing machine.

Confusing: My parents adopted a puppy for my little brother they call BJ.

Is the little brother called BJ? Maybe, but the wording is awkward if that’s what you mean.

Better: My parents adopted a puppy they call BJ for my little brother. OR My parents adopted a puppy for my little brother, BJ.

Confusing: Amelia found a package in the mailbox that doesn’t belong to her.

The mailbox doesn’t belong to her? Then she shouldn’t open it in the first place.

Better: Amelia found a package that doesn’t belong to her in the mailbox.

Be Careful… Be Very, Very Careful

Misplaced modifiers can lift your readers out of the story. Time for you to add a little quality control to your proofreading skills by slowing down as you read your story with an editor’s eye.

All credit to this post goes to Grammar Divas